Today marks the beginning of the Stranger than Fiction festival of documentaries at the IFI. The real meat of the festival begins tomorrow with a flurry of politically-charged films on rebellion, media shaping politics (and vice-versa), economics and

The Irish premiere of ‘The Sun Behind The Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom’ tracks the ramifications of the 2008 protests on the Dalai Lama and Tibetans alike.

Far from being the staple ‘this is rebellion’ docu, the filmmakers had access to the Dalai Lama before, during and after the protests and documented his reactions in contrast to the rhetoric spiking on the ground in Tibet.

The Sun Behind The Clouds shows at 12 noon, tomorrow the Friday 16th April.

Trailer: Youtube

Site: thesunbehindtheclouds.com

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In ‘Videocracy’, filmmaker Erik Gandini returns to Italy to explore where Berlusconi and the Television Age of Reality TV and fame has taken the country culturally and politically over the past 30 years.

The film interviews members of Berlusconi’s inner circle, follows a paparazzo that sees himself as a modern Robin Hood except liberating wealth for himself and takes a wry look at shopping centre auditions.

The trailer has been banned from Italian TV stations.

Videocracy shows at 2:15pm tomorrow, Friday 16th April.

NSFW Trailer: Youtube

Site: Videocracy (beware of NSFW imagery)

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‘Last Time Home’ follows the story of a family, the Zhangs. A family of factory migrant workers, they leave a newborn at home in their rural village and only to see her once a year at the Spring festival.  Years pass and embittered by being left behind, she leaves the countryside to seek work in the city.

The film explores the changes in family, education and society brought about by economic necessity in modern China. The story of the Zhangs is the story of over 200 million migrant workers in China today.

Debut film by Chinese-Canadian director Lixin Fan.

‘Last Train Home’ shows tomorrow at 3:30pm (Friday 16th April.)

Trailer: Youtube

Site: Last Train Home on Eye Steel Film

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In ‘South of the Border’, Oliver Stone travels to South America to account for the might of the left in Venezuela, Bolivia . Termed ‘a political road movie’, Stone’s documentary examines the economic agendas of the US and the IMF in the region and the effect these policies had to the economies.

On the trip, Stone interviewed the presidents of several South American countries. The movie was negatively received in the US, as ‘cheerleadery’.

‘South of the Border’ shows on Sunday, April 18th at 4pm.

Trailer: Youtube

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Tomorrow, a barrage of free events hit the STF festival at the IFI:

• Ethics in Documentary
• A Lifetime on Film: Directors of ‘American: The Bill Hicks Story’ talk about the ups and downs of making the documentary

Full detail of the films are available at the Stranger Than Fiction festival site.